A New Beginning
by christinesdaae
Summary: All seemed to end well after the day that Matilda and Miss Honey became their own family. Though one person is not satisfied with this "ending" and will not give up until reaching satisfaction. How will this affect all of their lives? Please R&R, I love to receive ratings to make my story the best it can be!
1. Chapter 1

It had been approximately one year since that day; since that ever so wonderful day; since that day a little girl by the name of Matilda Wormwood had leapt into the thin, frail arms of a lady by the name of Jenny Honey. Oh how wonderful that day was! It seemed that there was not a day ever to be better than this one. A young girl and her school teacher finally receiving what they had longed for and deserved throughout their entire lives before this day: a loving family. Though yes; the family was small, and yes, they did not have the happiest of backstories, they did have each other, and that was all that mattered.

But as it has once been said, even the happiest of endings have their flaws. In every story ever told in this world, there has always been at least one person unsatisfied with its outcome. Whether this person is in or out of this story, whether this person is a protagonist or an antagonist, whether the story is a fantasy or a reality, this one person always will exist. One person not willing to accept what has already happened and only wishes to live in the past, to dedicate their lives to attempt to change that past and will not quit until they have reached satisfaction. And as much as I wish to say that this person was not a part of this story, unfortunately, like all other stories, this person is very much a part of it and is even more stubborn than most. This person was an overall nasty person to be around, the kind of person one would hope to never meet, though throughout a lifetime, it is most common to meet a person like this at least once and it is impossible to avoid it from happening. Despite the hope of this person changing, this person fails to be guided into the right direction and continues to make countless errors and poor decisions that only affect others negatively. This person was Agatha Trunchbull.

Now many people believe that everyone has a speck of goodness in them, whether it is a large speck or a small speck, including myself. Though Agatha Trunchbull had a speck so small, even a microscope could barely see it. Any heart this lady had once had was now guarded by a thick wall of steel; so thick that it was nearly impossible to be broken. This lady had done a countless amount of horrible things in her lifetime, ranging from blaming children for things they had never done to forcing a child to practically be her slave, and to treat her very badly throughout her life too. It seemed that it was not right that she always found a way out of a bad situation and it seemed that she was nearly unstoppable, that was until the day that she was fooled by a bunch of schoolchildren into believing that she was receiving the punishment for all of her bad deeds that she had performed and would not be able to do anything about it. But like every other situation that Agatha Trunchbull had gotten into, she had found a way out.

"That nasty, slimy, revolting little, maggot! Thinking that she can, that she can just trick me like that, oh that gruesome creature will pay for this!" The Trunchbull roared, kicking a small coffee table across the small, bare room. Unknowing of her poor reputation and identity, the man who had once rented this small cottage to Jenny Honey had now rented it to the woman's aunt, as he figured that he could use a little bit of extra pocket money. As long as she could pay him ten pence a month, he was fine with her living in the small little cottage and did not question her reasons for her want to live in this very place in this very location. If he had known the reasons why, he would never had agreed to allow her to live in the cottage, for she hadn't wanted to live there just for shelter: it was for something much more than that; it was to ruin the lives of those who she believed had ruined her life. Although many had taken apart in the action of doing so, she narrowed her watch down to the two people who she disliked most: the young girl and her schoolteacher. It certainly was not right for the Trunchbull to seek revenge on the two of them, as they had been fighting for what _was _right for all and were as kind and innocent as can be, though it seemed that their goodness and want to help others was what sickened her the most. Her envious self hated them for that, perhaps, it could be thought, for the fact that they were happy while she was not. She believed that she herself was to have that happiness, not them, and believed that her thoughts, ideas, and actions were right while theirs were not. The Trunchbull would never change her hazy perspective of what she believed was right and continued on with her everlasting path of poor decisions. So, as expected, she continued to formulate a plan that was so delicate that if one thing went wrong, all would fail and would drive her to a lower state than she began with. But the Trunchbull was willing to take that risk, for she thought herself a coward if she did not go for it. If the plan failed, she would only try again, no matter what it would take, for her stubborn mind would not let go of their victory and her loss. Yes; they would pay for their actions no matter what, whether they try to avoid her wrath or not. The Trunchbull would always tell herself this every night as she needed something to keep her going, for what else did she have left if she gave up this plan? She knew that she had nothing to lose and was willing to perform the craziest and most difficult of plans to get what she thought she deserved.

The Trunchbull blew out the small yet steady flame from the candle once again, dreaming of better days than this one that she had lived through today and of revenge on those who had ruined her life.

* * *

I honestly don't know where I am going with this story; I just really love Matilda, (book, movie, and musical) and am really disappointed to see the lack of fanfics in the fandom. So I'm going to kind of come up with the plot as I go along and hopefully it will turn out better than my other attempts at writing Matilda fanfics. So if you have time, please R&amp;R as I would love to hear feedback and make this story the best that I can, thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

"Matilda, Matilda sweetie; would you care to fetch me some teabags? It would be much appreciated." Miss Honey smiled as she heated up the pot of water over the old stove, preparing to make the two tea. It had become a tradition over time: that they would both have tea together and chat for what seemed like hours at least once a week. It was absolutely perfect to sit outside for a little tea, as it was both perfectly shady and peaceful in this spot around this very time of the day. The little, old table sat on the porch, keeping it sheltered from receiving any weathering during the cold winter storms yet visible enough that you could see it from a distance.

"Of course Miss Honey," Matilda replied cheerfully, always willing to help out. There were never any arguments between the two for they were so happy to have each other that there wasn't any real reason to argue over small, silly things. They were both very kind and peaceful people who needn't worry about anything getting between them. The two of them would speak of any troubles they had over tea and possible ways to resolve them; it had basically become a tradition.

The young girl fetched the teabags for the two of them as Miss Honey poured the boiling hot water into two mugs decorated with a lovely pattern of flowers. Out of habit, Matilda put each teabag into their mugs and sat down across from her old schoolteacher. "Alright then, so Matilda, has there been anything that has interested you lately? You're studying physics at the moment, unless I'm mistaken?"

"Yes Miss Honey, there has been. Have you heard of a particle accelerator? It separates one particle from another. I'm currently putting together a research project about them, they're very fascinating." Matilda smiled and Miss Honey smiled back, for she was so happy to see how far Matilda had already come in school. She was only six yet she was studying content for those in high school already, maybe even college! Sure, there were some things- many things that challenged her mind, though that was what made school interesting for the little girl.

"I haven't heard of one, could you tell me more about them?" Miss Honey replied, always interested in what interesting facts Matilda came upon both in and out of school. She concluded that it was impossible to ever be bored once in a conversation with Matilda, for she was so bright and intelligent that one could never be bored with her.

So the two spoke not only about particle accelerators, but of many other topics too. Though Matilda never dared bring up the Trunchbull. Although there were many mysteries left undiscovered by her, she had no intentions of making Miss Honey uncomfortable just for her own benefit. She could only imagine the holy terrors that occurred throughout Miss Honey's childhood, but never mentioned her thoughts to anyone.

Miss Honey couldn't help but smile, watching the little girl speak passionately about various topics. It brought her so much joy to see Matilda full of passion, of bliss. Only a year ago, she had been forced to limit her passions and turn them into small stories she could only share with Mrs. Phelps. But now, now she had moved so far ahead from those days, without being limited. And that was what made her happiest of all.

But soon enough, nighttime fell and the two were forced to end their wonderful conversation and get ready for bed. Neither wanted to be exhausted in the morning. So with heavy sighs, the two of them brought their dishes to the sink, Miss Honey dismissing Matilda to prepare for bed, promising to give her a goodnight kiss before heading off to bed herself. So she picked up one of the teacups and delicately washed it with a small sponge, being sure to make it so clean that it would shine. But she felt a presence in the room and suddenly knew that Matilda hadn't left yet.

"Miss Honey, do you ever wonder if Miss Trunchbull is still out there?" Matilda asked this quietly, not wanting to appear to know any more about this topic than she did.

Gently, Miss Honey put down the teacup in the sink and stared out the window, trying to come up with a satisfying answer. "Well, I… I, I shouldn't think so. She did seem to be deathly frightened of Magnus and what he could do. I'd say that she is probably long gone and won't ever think of returning," she said in a hushed voice, as if her cruel aunt could hear what she was saying this very moment. The truth was that she feared the day that Matilda asked this question, for she really _didn't _know where she was or if she had moved on or not. But she desperately hoped that her answer was right, for imagining the horrors of her return was far too much for her to take.

Hearing the awkward silence that Miss Honey's answer left behind, Matilda decided both not to respond, and to not ask any further questions. So the girl quickly headed up the stairs to her room, preparing for bed quickly and then picking up one of her newest favourite books: The Phantom of the Opera. She read page after page, almost dreading the time that Miss Honey would enter her room and tell her that it was best to go to sleep. But of course, that time came rather quickly and soon enough Miss Honey knocked on her door gently before slipping through a small sliver of its opening.

"Matilda, I should think that it's best that you turn the lights out. I'm assuming that you don't want to be tired for school tomorrow." She smiled at the girl and walked up to the side of her bed, Matilda handing her the book after dog-earing the page. Matilda saw that Miss Honey was now wearing her pajamas too, unknowing though if she actually was going to go straight to bed after this; but that wasn't important. Walking up to her large bookshelf slowly, Miss Honey placed the book in its correct position, then returned to the side of her bed, tucking Matilda in under the covers.

Once she knew that Matilda was comfortable, Miss Honey bent down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night Matilda. Sweet dreams, I love you," she said with a warm smile, then turned off the lights as she exited the room. But as she gently closed the door, she began to feel a strange anxiety inside of her, one which followed her all the way to her room, even after she turned the lights out and tucked herself under the covers: 'What if Matilda's question had a different answer than the one she had given her? What if her Aunt really was going to come back eventually?' These anxieties began to pile up on top of her, until she came to the conclusion that she was just being ridiculous. Miss Trunchbull wouldn't return, would she? But despite the growing anxiety inside, she managed to dismiss them for now in order to fall asleep, for if she didn't, she wouldn't sleep a wink.

As she began to fall into her dreams, she realized how silly it sounded, that Miss Trunchbull would ever return. She had yet to realize how correct her anxieties were.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time that Matilda awoke in the morning, she had entirely forgotten about the conversation she had with Miss Honey the night before; all that was in her head was the excitement about the weekend. Despite how much the girl enjoyed and thrived in school, she still did enjoy a little time off to curl up in a corner and read a good book. Once she finished dressing herself for school, she found Miss Honey downstairs preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," she said as the girl walked in. She also had nearly forgotten about last night, though if she were to be reminded of the conversation, her anxieties would return. "Did you have a good night of sleep? I hope so, for I sure did not." She softly laughed, though at this point, she could hardly recall what kept her up throughout many times of the night. She assumed that it was for the better, as she _did_ have a class of students to teach today and no time to fuss over silly ideas.

"Yes, I did." Matilda replied, deciding that it would not be a smart idea to question why Miss Honey had not slept well, for she'd rather start the day off bright and blissful. "That's wonderful, I'm grateful that at least one of us did." She responded, flipping a pancake one last time before serving the others onto two plates. After pouring some maple syrup on the two, she brought the plates to the kitchen table, Matilda responding with a cheerful '_Thank you_' as she was handed her plate.

Soon enough, Miss Honey and Matilda arrived at Crunchem Hall Primary and Secondary school; many students had loved the school and learned so much once Miss Honey became the headmistress that they had practically begged her to start up a secondary school; and that was exactly what she had done. Matilda waved goodbye to her former schoolteacher as she headed off to the secondary school's campus which was not located too far away. "Have a wonderful day Matilda!" she responded back as she began to head in the opposite direction. "You too!" the girl called back. Miss Honey smiled, knowing that today was a new day and that it could be better than the last. As she signed in and dropped off her things in her office, she paused and spent a moment staring at the closet door where the "Chokey" had once been. It brought back many horrid memories, but also reminded her of how grateful she was to have those days of predicament only be thoughts of the past. Once she got ahold of herself, she realized that it was nearly 07:45 in the morning, meaning that class would start soon. Quickly stashing her things under her desk, she quickly fixed up her appearance one last time before entering the classroom in a calm demeanor.

"Good morning everyone," she said with a warm smile, slowly strolling to the front of the classroom. "This morning, we will first be starting with some math problems. If you all would take out your notebooks…"

* * *

After what felt like a short period of time, it was lunchtime already. Matilda headed toward the primary campus, where she would go and eat lunch with her friends; Miss Honey believed that despite her high academic ability, it was better for her to hang out with those of her own age rather than those ten years older. As usual, once she entered the cafeteria, she sat at a table with Lavender, Bruce, Alice, Amanda, and a few others.

"I'm so nervous for the English quiz later! I know that I know everything, but what if I forget it all?" Amanda exclaimed, receiving a few giggles from the others.

"You'll do fine, trust me. I'm sure that it won't be half as hard as you think that it will be." Matilda responded with a soft smile as she took a bite into her sandwich.

"It's easy for _you_ to say! You're super smart!" They all laughed again before Lavender began to change the topic. "Speaking of school, what have you been learning about Matilda?" She asked with wonder, always interested to hear about _everything_, despite the fact that she had no idea what more than half of the things were. "I'm currently learning trigonometry, physics, and a few other subjects. Some of them are rather difficult though." Matilda continued on, all of her friends listening to her in awe, despite the fact that they had no idea about most of the things she was talking about.

* * *

After what only felt like minutes, lunchtime ended and Matilda quickly said goodbye to her friends before rushing off to class, everything that she had asked about the previous day completely out of her mind.

And as for Miss Honey, everything seemed to have cleared out of her mind until the very end of the day as she wrapped up class, cleaning up the classroom as all of her students spoke amongst each other.

"M-Miss Honey?" A little girl asked as she approached her schoolteacher. Even though the school year had hardly began, Miss Honey had done her best to remember all of her new students' names and successfully recognized the little girl, despite the fact that she hardly spoke in class.

"Yes Patricia, is there something that you need? Feel free to ask me anything." She responded with a smile, setting down the rag she had been using to dust off one of the bookshelves to turn to her.

"The older kids have been talking about someone known as… as the Trunchbull? I think that's her name. D-do you know her? They said that she's horrible…" She asked quietly, playing with her hands as she looked down at the ground.

After a moment of silence and pondering over memories of her horrid aunt, the schoolteacher finally answered. "I-I… Yes, yes I do. I should think that it's best that she's forgotten though. I'm sorry, I think it best if I don't tell you anymore." The little girl seemed almost disappointed with her answer, though chose not to ask about her again and sorrowfully walked away instead. As much as Miss Honey wanted to make the girl happy, telling her about Miss Trunchbull would surely spread her name around the campus and horror stories of the previous years would show up again; that was the last thing that she wanted for all of the students, for them to all be reminded of all of the predicament that was forced upon them.

She managed to plaster on a warm smile for the rest of class, not wanting to show any signs of being even the slightest bit unhappy. Though being reminded of the horrid woman had piled all of those anxieties back onto her as she was all that was on her mind. This was the _very_ classroom in which the Trunchbull had run away from as she believed that the ghost of Magnus was haunting her. It really was clever of Matilda to think of such a scheme, as most five-year-olds could not even think of a plan even half as clever. The fact that her aunt was incredibly superstitious contributed to the plan positively, but what if she wasn't _entirely_ convinced that the writing on the chalkboard was from him? '_What if she realized that the only student who wasn't gasping in awe was Matilda? And if she figured that it was only a magic trick of some sort? Get a hold of yourself, Jenny! You're being ridiculous!'_ she thought to herself as she dismissed the students for the day.

As she headed to her office, she could hear giggles of excitement coming from many of the students as they ran off to their parents, probably excited to head home and watch all of their favourite television shows over the weekend. Matilda, on the other hand, despised the T.V. and preferred to head to the library from when it opened early in the morning to the minute that it would close around 17:00 in the evening. She smiled, happy to know that at least _some_ students still appreciated literature. After she slipped on her soft pink cardigan, she picked up the rest of her things and slipped out of her office, locking the door behind her. Once she made sure that there were no students still in the school, she headed out of the building and locked the doors behind her, meeting up with Matilda at the gate. Rather than driving to and from school as most would, Miss Honey preferred to walk home as she enjoyed the short walk with Matilda.

"How was school?" She asked the little girl as she took her hand and began heading onto the path that would lead to their home.

"It was wonderful. I think that I did well on both of my exams today!" She responded back with a smile, lightly shivering as a harsh breeze blew past her cheeks.

"That _is_ wonderful! I'm sure you've done very well on both of them, you're the brightest girl that I know." Miss Honey responded back, lightly pulling the girl closer to her as another breeze brushed passed them.

Matilda blushed as she huddled closer to her. "T-Thank you." She shivered, and once again, Miss Honey noticed, deciding to do something more about it. Despite how sharp and cold the breezes were, she stopped for a moment and pulled off her soft cardigan, wrapping it around the small girl. "Here, you need it much more than I do." She smiled as they began to continue on.

"B-But you'll be cold an-"

"I'm alright, you needn't worry." Miss Honey reassured her, keeping the girl close to her as she still was cold, though she certainly felt better knowing that Matilda was warm at least.

Throughout their calming walk, Matilda spoke of her day: things that her friends had told her about, a new novel that she was reading, and what she was learning in school; some of which, she didn't know herself. Miss Honey also spoke of her day: different students that had captured her attention, what she was teaching at the moment, and other small things, though she did not mention the conversation that she had with the young girl as she didn't want Matilda to suffer from the same anxieties as she herself was suffering from.

* * *

Once the two arrived at their home, they both smiled in relief as if was beginning to grow quite chilly outside, despite the fact that it was only the beginning of autumn. Miss Honey quickly fetched the keys out of her purse and thrust the door open quickly, scrambling in after Matilda so as to keep the cold breezes outside rather than inside. "Well, I think that we both can agree that despite how lovely it is to catch up with each other on the way home, it certainly isn't as fun when it's so chilly." The two softly laughed, slowly warming up in the heated home. Miss Honey prepared some tea for the two as Matilda worked on her homework, smiling as she took a chocolate from her father's old jar for both herself and Matilda.

What they did not know was that they were both being watched at that very moment, the one watching them filled with both anger and envy of their happiness and their content feeling about their lives. Agatha Trunchbull peered in through a small window in the kitchen, ducking down whenever one of them would look in her direction. "Those two nasty maggots, believing that they can take _my_ happiness away from me and keep it all to themselves!" She whispered angrily to herself as she walked away, realizing that it probably was not the smartest idea to peer in on them for if they were observant enough, she could be spotted and the entire plan that she cooked up could be ruined. Sighing in exasperation, she headed off back to the small cottage, kicking open the gate and slamming it closed behind her. "How could they _ever _believe that _I_ am gullible enough to fall for that scheme?" She asked, throwing a box across the room. She had never learned how to cope with her anger, so she took out her frustration on objects around her, though it didn't benefit her in any way as it only left her with broken furniture. "I will make them pay for what they have done one day…"

* * *

Miss Honey kissed Matilda goodnight once more as it was already quite late at night. As she headed off to bed, her anxieties followed her, though she somehow managed to push them aside once more as her exhaustion took over. She fell asleep feeling silly for trusting in these anxieties. After all, she believed that they were only in her head and that Miss Trunchbull was far away from London…

* * *

I apologize for taking so long to update! I volunteered this summer at a children's art camp and then recently started school, though I will try my hardest to update much faster!


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I've been in writer's block for a while, but I've finally managed to write two more chapters, so I hope you enjoy!

* * *

She had no idea of what to do. What was the _best_ thing to do; what would cause more suffering than the other.

Agatha Trunchbull paced through her narrow "cottage", or shack as she preferred to refer to it as. The woman had spent a countless amount of days watching over her enemies, learning each and every detail about them and being sure to take note of _everything_. Every routine, every friend of theirs; of course, only the ones that came over to their home. No, not _their_ home: _her_ home that she so rightfully deserved. If only she had retained her usual persona that day, rather than cowering down like a puppy. No one _ever_ made the Trunchbull cower, appear pathetic. Just the word itself tasted foul to her. And to think that the pathetic schoolteacher and a _child_ outsmarted her and ruined her reputation!

The two of them would obviously have to pay, but in what way? Jenny was easy to deal with; just taking control of the meek woman's life would break her all over again. But the little maggot… well, she deserved a special treatment. It was _her_ who had stolen her dignity at every given opportunity, _her_ who had taken Jenny out of her grasp. The girl needed to suffer more than anyone else, but what would break _her_? She was so strong-willed, so spirited from those silly books of hers that she would most certainly be the more difficult one of the two.

With a sigh, Agatha sprawled out all of her research that she had obtained from the library. She _hated_ the library, though she did have to admit that it was a valuable source of information, revenge included.

The woman flipped through the pages, casting ideas out of the question aside. _Physical pain_? No, it wouldn't bother a child as stubborn as her. It would hurt her, but not cause enough suffering to destroy her. _Control?_ No, only a woman as timid as Jenny would be deeply affected by it. _Emotional pain?_ Perhaps, though she would have to play with a certain area of the girl's heart.

"How could I _not_ think of that before?" The woman's expression brightened significantly, with a grimace morphed into a smirk as a substantial idea emerged in her thoughts: Jenny.

* * *

Months flew by in a flash with Matilda and Miss Honey failing to experience anything out of the ordinary. School went by with only the slightest of difficulty for Matilda, and no further questions regarding the Trunchbull were asked to Miss Honey. They had finally received the privilege of escaping from the past, as even the teacher's nightmares had seized to occur.

"Good morning class. I hope that you've all had a lovely weekend, and that you'll have just as lovely of a week. Firstly, we'll begin with some handwriting." Monday morning groans came from the class, though the shuffling of notebooks and pencils followed soon after. Miss Honey smiled, and then proceeded to neatly print a few words on the board for her students to copy down: _the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog_. It was great practice for learning how to print the alphabet, and would also at the same time reveal which children did not practice over the weekend.

Most students seemed to be doing fine, though others struggled with copying the more difficult of the letters down. Without a word, Miss Honey went over to assist those who needed assistance and to thank others for practicing. Smiles began to fill the room as the students each received compliments on their particular handwriting. Positivity enveloped each and every person, and soon the classroom began to become the home of another thriving day.

* * *

"I still don't know what to do for Miss Honey's birthday tomorrow. I'll definitely make breakfast for her, but what else can I do without her finding out ahead of time?" Matilda asked Lavender before taking a bite of her turkey and cheese sandwich. It would be Miss Honey's first properly celebrated birthday since she was a little girl, so it _had_ to be special.

"You should buy her lots and lots of lollies! And then share some with me too." Lavender grinned as she grimaced at the small salad she had been given for lunch, then tried her hardest to force it down her throat by pretending it was cake.

Matilda laughed as she tossed away her trash. Maybe she would just make her a card. She could pour her heart out into it, and then have some tea and cookies with her.

_No, that's too simple. I need something more extravagant._

"Oh, I have an idea! Maybe you, Bruce, Alice, and I could all surprise her, and then we can _all_ have tea and cookies, and of course, lollies." Lavender's eyes brightened up as she heard the idea, and she abruptly nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes! That's perfect! My mom will probably be fine with it, and she doesn't need to know about the sweets. I'll go tell everyone about it!" And with that, she went running off, calling out to all of them. Matilda only laughed, and then headed off to class while picturing Miss Honey's expression once she glanced upon her surprise.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by in a flash, and soon enough, it was the morning of Miss Honey's birthday. Matilda had rehearsed the first few words she would say to her at least one hundred times, though she knew that she would most likely go off-script at one point or another. A steamy warm breakfast sat on the table, along with two cups of breakfast tea. Matilda listened with excitement as she heard footsteps heading down the stairs, and then saw Miss Honey's head stick out from the other room with an amazed expression.

"M-Matilda? You've done all of this for _me_?" Miss Honey blinked back tears as she walked into the kitchen with awe clearly displayed in her expression.

"Happy birthday!" Matilda rushed over to her quickly, and then enveloped her in a huge hug. Miss Honey hugged her back tightly, unable to believe the sight before her eyes.

"So first we'll have tea and breakfast, and then I have a big surprise for you after school. You'll have to take your time though, because I'll need at least half an hour to set up." Matilda grinned and received a small giggle from Miss Honey, who was giddy with joy.

The two of them sat down at the table, though only of course after Matilda had served Miss Honey first. They then took their time while eating and spoke in between sips of tea and bites of cinnamon toast.

As expected, the morning went by rather quickly and soon enough, they found themselves parting ways as they headed to school and work.

* * *

"So we're going to surprise her when she gets home?" Alice asked Matilda, confirming their schedule.

"Yup. She's going to take her time after work, and then she'll come home and find a surprise party awaiting her. It's going to be the best birthday ever."

"Definitely," Lavender said, picturing the delicious sweets that were to come, and of course, her old teacher's reaction to her wonderful treat.

* * *

"Thank you Miss Honey," the last child in the classroom said as he hoisted her tin lunchbox into her backpack, then followed her friends out into the halls. Someone had found out that it was her birthday, and her students had chosen to give her a complimentary "happy birthday" song, which completely warmed her heart. No one had even acknowledged her birthday in years, and to have so many people wish her a wonderful day was astounding.

She looked back upon her day so far with a cheerful smile. And to think that she still had _another_ surprise in store! The blissfulness was almost overwhelming!

With delicate fingers, the teacher took her time organizing her desk and the entire classroom. It was nearly spotless, though she wanted to be sure to give Matilda all the time that she needed.

When at last there was nothing to do to improve her office or classroom, Miss Honey locked up the school and headed out. She was already happy enough, though she still couldn't hide the excitement she had for Matilda's "big surprise".

As she briskly walked home along the pavement, she noticed a small note taped to a tree. With a slightly perplexed expression, she approached it to find that it was from Matilda.

_Miss Honey, meet me at your old cottage. A lovely tea and sweets party awaits you._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Matilda_

At her old cottage? That was certainly an odd place to choose for a party. But nevertheless, Miss Honey slightly altered her route to make her way back to what she once called her home.

Throughout the walk, she found herself imagining the party, a _real_ party for _her_! It almost seemed too good to be true! Happy thoughts continued to swirl around her mind, making her more excited than ever.

She soon approached the cottage, finding the gate leading inside tangled with more weeds than before, and the flowers surrounding it almost all dead. It made for a sad sight, as it had looked so much nicer before, but she supposed that she should've expected to find it in that condition. After all, the farmer didn't seem to care much about the little home.

"Matilda?... Matilda?" Miss Honey asked as she headed through the gate, wondering where the girl could be. The place was nearly dead silent, except for the quiet tapping of a foot and the slight creaking of the floorboards inside. She couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive, though still made her way in anyway.

No cheers or "surprise's!" came; instead the teacher's first sight inside was of a crate with two hot tea cups on it, as she expected, but Matilda certainly wasn't there. Instead, her worst nightmare sat right at the makeshift table, dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Hello Jenny. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

* * *

"Where _is_ she? School ended almost an hour and a half ago and I _really_ want the lollies," Lavender whined from her hiding place behind a chair.

"And I really want the cake," Bruce said, feeling his stomach grumble.

"Yeah, Matilda, where is she?" Alice asked with a yawn as she leaned back against the wall.

"She'll be here any minute now, I guarantee you. Just hang in there," Matilda whispered to everyone, though still stole a glance at her watch. It read, _4:30_. Why wasn't she back yet? Surely the walk home from school wasn't _that_ long. With a deep breath, Matilda decided to be patient.

* * *

"I-I…I have to go," Miss Honey stuttered with widened eyes, not taking her eyes off of the large woman.

"Sit. Jenny, I _insist_." Agatha's tone told her that it wasn't a choice. She hesitated and placed a hand on the door, but once she saw her aunt begin to stand up, she rushed over to the "table" and sat down, too afraid to risk facing her wrath.

"Good girl. Now, have some tea and we'll talk about a particular event that occurred in your classroom last year." Agatha's wicked smile faded into a grimace as Miss Honey stared down at her trembling hands without even taking a glance at the cup before her.

"Have some tea," Agatha repeated, lifting her niece's chin up to adjust her gaze. Miss Honey didn't say anything in response, though she still did lift the tea cup up to her mouth and took a sip, barely managing to keep herself from spilling all over herself. Her fingers shook so terribly that it was an extreme difficulty to even pick up the cup, though she still continued to take small sips in order to please Agatha. She could only wonder what the evil woman wanted with her.

"Now that you're all situated, why don't you tell me how exactly that little maggot was able to write on the chalkboard without touching the chalk? I know it wasn't Magnus that wrote that, I'm not _that_ stupid to fall for your little lies." Miss Honey's eyes widened as she heard Agatha's words and she nearly dropped her tea.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. She did no such thing. It's impossible to lift up a piece of chalk with your min-"

"Don't you _dare_ lie to me, Jenny. I know that you and that disgusting maggot were behind it all, and I need you to admit to me that she did indeed do that, and I need you to tell me _how_ she did that." She looked at Miss Honey with a glare, and then continued on.

"Then you can go off and enjoy your little birthday," she said in a singsong voice, watching her niece with a stern expression as the woman finished her tea and placed the cup back onto the crate.

"I-I'm not going to put up with this any longer. I…I'm leaving," Miss Honey stated in a firm tone, standing up and turning away from her aunt. She wouldn't… couldn't be pathetic any longer. She didn't have to listen to Agatha any longer, so she would not tolerate being treated awfully ever again.

"I wouldn't say so. Did you, perhaps, notice a little bit of an odd taste in the tea?" Agatha asked with a smirk, watching as Miss Honey came to the realization of what was happening.

The teacher's eyes widened again, and she went running out the door, though already felt too weak to scream or shout. She couldn't leave Matilda behind all alone, so she _had_ to make it back home.

A drowsiness came upon her as she pushed the gate, the oh-so heavy gate, open, and soon enough, blackness cloaked over her. She collapsed onto the dirt ground, not making it more than six feet out of the cottage.

With a calm expression, the Trunchbull stood up and headed outside to her niece, satisfied that her plan was going just as she had anticipated. Jenny was now with her, and she could finally begin her revenge on the little maggot that had ruined her life.

Agatha kneeled down beside Miss Honey for a moment, muttering a few angry words to her, and then lifted her thin body up and brought her inside. Yes, everything was going just as planned.


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry for my absence! Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Matilda, it's getting late. Is she really coming? My mum is going to come pick me up soon," Lavender whined, fumbling around with her fingers while Matilda paced around the room. She paused at her friend's question, trying to think of an answer herself. Matilda truly had no idea of where Miss Honey had run off to in order to kill only thirty minutes, and her lack of an answer only led to self-doubt?

"Oh my gosh, maybe I gave her the wrong information!" Matilda exclaimed, causing all of the children to look at each other with horror. "But I couldn't have, I distinctly remember telling her that she could come home after thirty minutes," she continued, ponding over all of the possibilities of possible miscommunications.

"Uh, Matilda, I've already eaten the cake. I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist," Bruce apologized over his full belly, cake smeared all over his face, hands, and shirt. Matilda wanted to be angry at him, but she was too angry with herself to care. She felt that whole situation was probably her fault anyway, as Miss Honey would have probably already had her share of the cake if there hadn't been a miscommunication.

"It's okay Bruce, don't worry about it." Matilda returned to her pacing, though picked up her speed as well. Her friends glanced at each other with concern, and then headed for the door.

"I think that I'd better go home and do my homework. Wouldn't want to upset my mum! See you tomorrow Matilda!" Lavender excused herself while stuffing a handful of candies into her pockets.

"I-I, uh, have to go home now. Bye Matilda," Bruce said while picking up one last plate of cake on his way out.

"And I think that I should go too. I have to do my chores. See you tomorrow Matilda," Alice quietly said, watching her friend with concern as she exited and gently closed the door behind her. Matilda stared at the door for a moment, filled with utter shock and an underwhelming feeling. This was not how Miss Honey's special day was supposed to go. She was supposed to come home and be surprised, and have a wonderful birthday celebration. Where was she?

She paced around the empty room a few more times, and then the girl decided to call the school. Perhaps she truly had told Miss Honey the wrong information, and perhaps she hadn't even left in the first place.

She picked up the phone, typed in the correct phone number with absolute precision, and then listened for someone to answer. The phone rang, and rang, and rang.

_You are calling Crunchem Hall Primary and Secondary School. I'm sorry we cannot get to you at the moment, but if-_

Matilda ended the phone call and stared at the wall for a moment, attempting to process the situation. Miss Honey was not home. She was not at school. Where could she have gone off to for so long?

"That's it! The library!"

Determined that her estimate had to be correct, Matilda threw on her coat, fetched her keys to the house, and ran outside with a wide smile on her face. How silly! She must have given Miss Honey the wrong time, and instinctively, she would go to the library to read. Or maybe she _had_ indeed given her the right time, but Miss Honey had gotten so lost in a book that she lost track of time. Both situations could have easily happened.

Within fifteen minutes, Matilda made it to the library. She could practically smell the scent of books as she watched some employees carrying boxes inside, and knew that her teacher had to be there.

"Good evening Mrs. Phelps. How are you doing today?" She asked, causing the librarian to jump in alarm.

"Oh hello Matilda. I didn't even see you there!" Mrs. Phelps caught her breath, adjusted her glasses, and then stared at the child for a moment, and then glanced back at her watch.

"Matilda honey, it's seven thirty at night! The new series you requested won't be coming in until tomorrow… unless you're here with a story?" She asked with hope gleaming in her eyes. Matilda hated to be the one to crush it, but she wasn't sure of what else to say.

"Um, no Mrs. Phelps, I'm sorry. I'm here to find Miss Honey." Matilda half-smiled at the librarian, waiting to find out where Miss Honey was. In the adult section? In the young adult section? She always seemed to want to read everything the same way that Matilda did.

"Well Matilda, I'm afraid that this isn't the right place to find her. I did happen to see her pass by earlier, even waved at her. Why isn't she at home?" Mrs. Phelps asked, and then watched as the young girl's eyes began to water.

"Oh no, don't be upset, child, I'm sure Miss Honey's at home right now and is probably worrying about you like crazy. Go on then, you don't want to be out too late. Unless you have a stor-never mind. Have a nice evening Matilda." She gave the girl a pat on the back and then continued on with her book sorting.

Without wasting any more time, Matilda ran off in the direction of her home, desperately hoping that Mrs. Phelps's words were true.

Although she hadn't found Miss Honey at the library, she had certainly gained valuable information: Miss Honey did leave the school earlier. She did not know how much earlier, but she left nevertheless. Maybe she had gone shopping and was having difficulty choosing which laundry detergent to buy, or maybe she had taken herself out for tea; the possibilities were endless.

* * *

After a very long stroll home, Matilda shakily pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, just to find silence awaiting her. A tear streamed down her cheek, and then many more followed. Where could Miss Honey be? It was eight thirty at night, far too late for her to ever stay out. No miscommunication could lead her to come home that late.

Knowing that there was nothing else to do, Matilda picked up the telephone that she had tossed aside earlier and dialed a number that she had never imagined dialing again.

"Yes, I would like to speak to an officer. I want to file a missing person report."

* * *

She cracked open her eyes, bit by bit, squinting at the bright light disorienting her vision. Tears formed as she continued the strenuous effort of forcing open her eyelids, and she tried to wipe them away, but her hands were stuck. She decided to move step by step, beginning with opening her eyes.

_1…2…3!_ Her eyes opened wide, and a pain engulfed her immediately, resulting in more tears down her cheeks. She didn't care about that. What she cared about was her situation: where she was, what was happening, and why she couldn't seem to move her hands.

She blinked over and over again, attempting to adjust her sore eyes to the bright surroundings. With much effort, she managed to get a brief glance of the entire room. It was painted white, though the surface had multiple dirt and grass stains smeared across it. She didn't know why, nor did she care at the moment. All she wanted was to see Matilda again. Where was she?

She made note of the fact that she was on a rough surface, certainly not a bed like she had expected.

She attempted to wiggle her wrists, only to find that she could not. With a tight glance down, she noticed coarse rope was wrapped around them. Her eyes widened, and she tried to wiggle her ankles. The same thing happened. She was immobilized.

Her instinct now was to call for help, but similar to her previous two attempts to get up, she found that she could not speak. Another piece of that rope was in her mouth, serving as a makeshift gag. What had happened?

Despite her failed efforts to move and speak, she continued trying to perform both of the actions, struggling against her restraints and crying out for help as loud as she could, though nothing but a few breathy noises could be heard.

The light shone down on her for a few moments longer, and then it abruptly shut off. Despite this, she did not quit her attempts of escape, hardly even noticing the difference in lighting.

Loud steps echoed suddenly echoed through an air vent, the sound of a whip touching bare skin following along. She paused her movement and began trying to shout, as if it would stop the person approaching the room she was in.

The footsteps then paused, and she caught her breath, her chest moving up and down repeatedly.

A tall, intimidatingly tall from her point of view, person then popped up in front of her, scaring her beyond belief. Her whole figure shook with fear, and she nearly passed out once she glimpsed upon the person's face.

"We have unfinished business. Let's have a chat, shall we?"

* * *

"Yes, she's been gone for many hours. A description? Blonde hair, blue eyes, petite figure, I'm not sure what else to describe. What she was wearing last? A floral dress, maybe a pink cardigan. That's all? Thank you very much, I really hope that you can find her soon." Matilda ended the phone call and wiped a few more tears off of her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. It was official, now that she had filed a report. Miss Honey truly was missing.

She pulled at her head of tangled hair, grunts of frustration escaping her lips. If only she had just stuck with a card! Then Miss Honey would be home, and they would both stomachs full of birthday cake, and they would be happy. But the reality was that Miss Honey was _not _at home, and Matilda's stomach was _not _full of cake, and she was alone, and she was _not _happy.

"Miss Honey, where could you be?" She asked out loud, receiving no response but silence. Matilda would certainly be spending the night at home alone, for the first time ever.

Without a smile, she headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas, and brushed her teeth, and pulled out her book, but she could not keep her mind on any of the words. Not when Miss Honey was missing and in possible danger. It was only eight forty-five at night, much earlier than she usually went to sleep, but she decided to do so earlier, for what else was there to do? She still did have school tomorrow, and she would most certainly go if only to spread the word of the missing Miss Honey.

Matilda fluffed her pillow and tucked herself under her blankets, and she turned off the light, but she could not sleep. Not when the person most beloved to her was missing.

She stared up at the dark ceiling, her eyes threatening to spill out more tears. But she did not allow them to, because she needed to be brave. For both herself and Miss Honey.

* * *

She shook her head wildly, only for Agatha Trunchbull to grab her chin in a firm grip and force eye contact between them both.

"Jenny, you know how this works. You do as I say, and you do not get hurt. You don't do as I say, and you spend time in the Chokey; yes, I have made a new one, if you were wondering. It is no bigger than the others though, so you should do as I say." Miss Honey stared up at her in horror, her eyes watering with total fear. Her aunt stared back for a moment with a grimace and lifted up a hand. Miss Honey feared the worse and anticipated a blow. Instead, Agatha's hand reached over to her niece's gag and untied the knot, allowing the coarse rope to fall alongside the petite woman.

"It's time to go over what _really_ happened _that_ day."

* * *

Once again, thank you so much for the kind reviews! I cannot guarantee when I'll update next, but I'll try to do so as soon as possible! Hope you enjoyed!


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